HBO SPORTS SPECIAL: “THE SHOP” EPISODE 4

LeBron and team are back with episode 4 of The Shop. The guests on this episode were Jaime Foxx, Meek Mill, Anthony Davis, Antonio Brown, 2 Chains, Jarrod Carmichael, Maverick Carter and LeBron James. Unlike the previous three episodes, this interview is deep into the NBA season, and, follows the same group through the entire conversation. The entertainers and sports professionals conversed throughout, whereas usually, about halfway, they switch out a few of the guests for the week. Personally, after seeing it done, I see the value of rotating guests. For me, this episode was a little dry and lacked the diverse input I’ve grown accustomed to getting from the guests.

The guys talked about everything from being out of touch versus being financially responsible. Jamie Foxx recalls what it’s like to be the young old guy on the scene now. Jaime was one of the standouts on the episode. Whether it was jokes about cocaine or one of the many instances of him being on the scene, he knows how to read the room and get everyone wrapped up in his content. The conversation shifted to taking care of people and “owing” those closest to you. LeBron shared that his mom just built a house from the ground up, 17 years into his career, and the importance of having a support system growing up. Meek offered a different perspective, making it clear that he doesn’t “owe nobody shit.” And, he made a decent argument. If people constantly have their hand out and you oblige, then you’re going to find yourself in a bad situation. Anthony Davis shared that once his parents realized he was going to make big money, they sat him down and said he doesn’t owe them anything. I value that perspective because the subtext was, hey we’re your parents, we did what we had to do for you, now see it through!

Jerrod is always a favorite of mine. As a two-time guest, I could easily get used to him being on the set regularly. He captures the fear that lingers in the entertainment field so easily. While I felt like Kevin Hart was the conversation (his name did come up), Jerrod says that there is this expectation for entertainers to be civil rights leaders… where’s the line? Foxx continues by celebrating the successes of this generation. He recognized that his generation rode the post-civil rights wave versus this generation fights for the cause in a different way. LeBron brought Colin Kaepernick up and celebrated the sacrifice he made and how he lost everything because of it.

There was some conversation about financial freedom and controlling the narrative. We also dug back into the NBA versus NFL and how the leagues treat their players. Honestly, there was nothing really added to the conversation from the last time. LeBron continues to make it clear that the NBA advocates create a safe space for their players (if they find value of course), and we continue to hear NFL players, ever so slightly, show how it’s all about the owners and what you can do for them… until, well, you can’t. Check out Antonio Brown and LeBron James talking more about the narrative and importance of working your ass off.